Article October 5, 1918 Issue

Mr. Murphy is trying to induce the people of California...

Peter V. Ross

Oakland (Cal.) Enquirer

Mr. Murphy is trying to induce the people of California to take on an additional burden of $27,596,000 for compulsory health insurance (experts say $45,000,000), and, what is still more startling, he is striving to induce the wage earners of the state to accept this Prussian type of forced insurance as a substitute for adequate wages and a square deal. In other words, he is playing in California the role that Bismarck played in Germany, for it will be remembered that Bismarck trapped the German workers with this forced insurance, which has reduced them, as Ambassador Gerard says, practically to a condition of serfdom. Samuel Gompers, Warren S. Stone, and other sagacious and loyal labor leaders are warning wage earners against this Prussian tyranny; Mr. Murphy is leading them into it.

It is well known that the expensive campaign for furthering this scheme was begun and has largely been carried on by people and organizations unfriendly to the labor movement. This has naturally aroused suspicion, until at the June meeting of the American Federation of Labor, just held in St. Paul, and presided over by Samuel Gompers, resolutions were introduced to the effect that: Whereas, an intensive and costly campaign for social insurance has been carried on for years by those who have sought to disrupt and retard the cause of the workers; therefore, be it resolved that an immediate investigation of the matter be had to ascertain, among other things, "what are the financial resources of the persons and organizations promoting this scheme, and what relation they may have with those interests who are opposed to the best interests of the labor movement." It looks as though there might be some embarrassment for the people back of the state social insurance propaganda when the results of this investigation are made public.

It is claimed by the advocates of the insurance that it will relieve sickness and poverty. The absolute insincerity of this claim is revealed by the fact that Mr. Murphy's commission plans to insure only the regularly employed, and to ignore the unemployed, the blind, the halt, and the lame. The dictates of humanity would suggest that he recognize this helpless class, if not first, at least along with the strong and prosperous.

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Mr. Murphy is trying to induce the people of California...

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